Demi Lovato's new tattoos have been a hot topic across celebrity gossip columns, but not for the scandalous reasons you usually see celebrity ink in the spotlight (like Gucci Mane's facial ice cream cone or Amy Winehouse's jailhouse-quality ink.) but because she got a tattoo that honors both herself and her fans. It's not a large tattoo, or a colorful tattoo, or an amazingly artistic tattoo - but the ink on Demi's wrists stands for something bigger than any trophy-winning piece of artistic brilliance.

All the Right Reasons

Demi's wrist tattoos send her a powerful message every day. Her inner left wrist says "Stay" and her inner right wrist says "Strong" and includes a small heart. Since the tattoo first appeared in paparazzi photos, there was speculation as to what the tattoo meant. Lovato had recently spent some time in a rehab center to deal with severe emotional issues; rumors of cutting and an eating disorder had surrounded the starlet in the weeks prior to her checking into the center. Since her return home in January of 2011, Demi has stepped from the road to recovery to the road of strength, and is giving her fans all the credit for getting her through one of the most difficult times of her life. And that's where the extra little heart tattoo comes in.

During her treatment, many of her supporters rallied together and started a campaign to draw hearts on their wrists to show their faith in her and her commitment to defeat her personal demons. Some fans even went as far as getting the heart tattooed, so Demi felt it was fitting for her to get the same little heart tattoo as a show of appreciation and to remind herself how many people she has on her side.

She explains the tattoos personally in a video message she recently published.
Setting a Good Example

Emotional issues, eating disorders, and self-harm are common among many teens today. We see troubling signs in many teenaged celebrities, but most of them either deny having a problem or fail to see treatment through. And there's plenty of them getting tattoos for all the wrong reasons, which is why their ink often is a source of sneers and jeers and makes a bad name for the tattoo industry as a whole. But Demi is, so far, setting a great example for teens around the world. I wish all celebrities put as much thought into their tattoos as Demi has - maybe she'll start a new trend of smart inking.